Come Apart & Rest Awhile

This retreat will be what you wish to make it. The Ranch will offer you all the usual opportunities, but the focus will be on personal spiritual “work” rather than conferences with a presenter. Lauren, Carl, Joyce, and Barbara will all be available for individual spiritual companioning.

Reiki and massage therapy will also be offered by way of relaxation and healing. In addition, Lauren and Barbara will lead gatherings for meditation in the style of the Taize community. Come apart. Rest, and let the Spirit renew you in this sacred wilderness.

What is spiritual direction or spiritual companioning?
The following are descriptions from several traditions taken from the website of Spiritual Directors International

Spiritual direction is the process of accompanying people on a spiritual journey. Spiritual direction exists in a context that emphasizes growing closer to God (or the holy or a higher power).

Spiritual direction explores a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human. Simply put, spiritual direction is helping people tell their sacred stories everyday. Spiritual direction has emerged in many contexts using language specific to particular cultural and spiritual traditions. Describing spiritual direction requires putting words to a process of fostering a transcendent experience that lies beyond all names and yet the experience longs to be articulated and made concrete in everyday living. It is easier to describe what spiritual direction does than what spiritual direction is. Spiritual direction helps us learn how to live in peace, with compassion, promoting justice, as humble servants of that which lies beyond all names. (Liz Budd Ellmann, MDiv, Executive Director, Spiritual Directors International)

Spiritual direction is the contemplative practice of helping another person or group to awaken to the mystery called God in all of life, and to respond to that discovery in a growing relationship of freedom and commitment. (James Keegan, SJ, Roman Catholic, USA, on behalf of the 2005 Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International)

Most people would agree that spiritual direction means companionship with another person or group through which the Holy One shines with wisdom, encouragement and discernment. Some, however, expect this companionship to be of a professional nature, with a trained, supervised, and perhaps even certified spiritual director. Others see it as spontaneous and gifted, strongly resisting signs of professionalization.

Spiritual guidance can happen authentically in a vast variety of forms. The many forms can be divided into two major groups: Formal spiritual direction and informal spiritual companionship. Formal spiritual direction includes relationships that are explicitly defined as spiritual direction with a clear separation of roles between director and directee. Meetings are usually scheduled in advance on a regular basis, and a directee normally has only one formal director.

Informal spiritual companionship is characterized by a lack of structure and role definition. These relationships are not considered exclusive, and most people have several such companionships. Meetings tend to be irregular and spontaneous. There is nearly always some atmosphere of mutuality, and each person retains his or her own locus of discernment. There is no notion of providing a service, and fees are out of the question. (Gerald May, MD. Excerpted from Shalem News, Volume xxii, No. 1, Winter, 1998, "Varieties Of Spiritual Companionship” )

Spiritual direction is, in reality, nothing more than a way of leading us to see and obey the real Director — the Holy Spirit hidden in the depths of our soul. (Thomas Merton, Trappist monk, USA)
Spiritual direction can mean different things to different people. Some people understand it to be the art of listening carried out in the context of a trusting relationship. It is when one person is trained to be a competent guide who then “companions” another person, listening to that person's life story with an ear for the movement of the Holy, of the Divine. (Rev. Jeffrey S. Gaines, Presbyterian, USA)

There are varied historical streams of influence on spiritual direction in the Anglican tradition. First there is the recognition that parish clergy are entrusted with the “cure of souls” or pastoral care. Secondly, there is the practice of sacramental confession. Thirdly, Ignatian spirituality has shaped the practice of many Anglicans over the years. Today, the majority of directors are probably women. The marks of a director are love, kindliness and a real compassion. The language used is one of healing and growth rather than that of the law court with its judgment, condemnation, and punishment. The pastoral roots of the Anglican tradition mean that its practitioners are counsellors, confessors, and physicians of the soul, not judges. There is warmth and a lightness of touch. (Canon Peter W. Ball, UK)

What is reiki?
We plan to offer reiki. If you are not familiar with it, here is some helpful information from this source.

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

What is Taize prayer?

What is Taizé prayer? Taizé prayer is a quiet simple way of prayer designed for people of all Christian traditions. These meditative candlelit services include simple chants sung repeatedly; rich silence; and prayers of praise and intercession.

History of Taizé:  These prayer services emerge from an ecumenical community of monks in Taizé, France. Brother Roger, Taize's founder, arrived in the village of Taizé, France in 1940. In the midst of World War II, he dreamed of creating a community where reconciliation was a daily reality. He began by giving shelter to refugees of the war, especially Jews. Brother Roger recognized that the search for reconciliation was within each individual as well as within the community.

Initially, the Taizé founder lived alone, until brothers from various Protestant and Catholic backgrounds followed. Today, as an ecumenical monastic community, Taizé is a sign of reconciliation. People from around the world, especially young people, come to Taizé looking for meaning in their lives as they prepare for responsibilities in their own communities.

Source: http://www.seattleu.edu/campusministry/taize.htm
For more information, check Taize’s website:

Barbara Bridge is the General Editor of the recently published Hear the Prayers That Rise: A Music Resource for Contemplative Prayer.